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Translation

Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Γριγορίῳ προτωκεντάρχῳ Νικέας.

Mother of God, help your servant Gregory, protokentarchos of Nicaea.

Commentary

Laurent lists other seals of protokentarchoi. This officer is not mentioned in Philotheos, but he appears in narrative sources in the tenth century and is commonly mentioned in eleventh-century documents. Our seal constitutes the earliest mention of the title. Because of its formulation, we assume that this was the protokentarchos of the theme of the Opsikion, who was attached to the city of Nicaea. Note other seals of protokentarchoi whose authority was defined by the name of an entire theme, such as Hellas and Chaldia (Sig., 166; Ebersolt, Sceaux, no. 483; BZS.1951.31.5.2301). In the tenth century the theme of Thrakesion had six protokentarchoi (Cer., 663). See N. Oikonomides, Fiscalité et exemption fiscale à Byzance(IXE-XIe s.) (Athens, 1996), 279-280.